Something about eight o'clock
by Meridian Diamond
Summary: He slipped on his headphones, the odd girl very present in his mind. He wonders if he'll see her tomorrow. Then again, he mightn't... When she bid goodbye, it was like a knife's edge kissing the flesh. (-)Rin and Len's Heart Events(-) And he's scared that she might not come back if he cared too much, that if he'd look for her, he'd go lost.
1. Chapter 1

**#S**omething about eight o'cloc**k#**

She was renting the studio up on the second floor.

"Hi! I guess you're the newbies, huh?"

He suspected nothing and expected nothing—much less aware of what consequences ahead.

"I mean, we haven't had a new renter ever since—well, me, at least. Everyone moved away—but I've got school, so I'll be here long!"

Nobody's ever been so forward to him before, let alone approached to him in such a way.

"So, if you rented—obviously, this's a pretty high-class condominium, with guards and all—where're you from?"

Normally, he'd brush people who dare conceitedly talk to him away.

But her intentions were clear and sincere. He doubted he would have minded even if she kidnapped and put him in a sack of rice for interrogation.

Not with that face.

"That's a pretty long way home, Man… I'm only just two cities away! Not saying you should stop by or something—" She had looked like she was on the verge of swearing in her failure. Instead, she had wisely chosen to abruptly change the topic. "Do you study in the high school three blocks away?"

It was his mother's choice, and it wasn't like she ever visited, anyway.

…He loved his mother, but at such times when absolutely unnecessary things were done, he'd rather just melt at the spot and writhe in the embers of embarrassment.

He finally had a good life in school—friends—at the very least someone whom he was comfortable talking to—grades, a faithful if clingy girlfriend—whose relationship with him only just started out of mere texting and, as far as he could tell, was nothing more he would want to escalate. He would always wonder why his mother would prefer him to move at such the wrong time.

"You do? Oh God—that's where I go to!" She paused at first, looking at her feet. "Um, well, I've gotta go. Hope you're enjoying your stay!"

She turned her back on him after waving, and ran up the stairs. He stared after her, leaving him stunned at her sudden leave. He stepped out of the threshold of his flat to look at where she disappeared to, but stayed on where he was: He wouldn't risk going up the second floor. Not on his first day here.

Thinking about how he wasn't ever going to make many friends in this stupid place, he slipped on his headphones and went back in his flat, where his brother was asking if he had an extra pen, to which he replied a no.

He dropped himself on the couch, listening to the melody and beat of his music.

He didn't even know her, and she didn't know him.

He couldn't help but wonder, though…

What could be her name?

…

It was the first day of school, and he was very late.

Sluggish as he was, he only woke up so early, however couldn't pull off taking a shower in less than thirty minutes. (His brother had already commented on his pitchy singing in the bathroom and complained about stopping it. He only shrugged and forced a smile.) He fell asleep in front of the television again and who else but his brother could wake him up?

"C'mon, you slowpoke!"

He was looting a few candies when his brother dragged him outside to the condominium's parking lot.

"We've gotta go, we're gonna be late for school!"

Idly nodding, he zipped up his bag close and followed the younger sibling.

"Just hold on," he said, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "In a second."

They were past the guardhouse and were now in front of the gate, waiting for the bus to get them to school.

His brother was staring thoughtfully at the sky. "Y'know, I was wondering who our classmates might be. It'd be pretty awkward if they _are_ weeabos."

He added, thinking as though a joke must be supplied, "Or Wapanese. How about we just put them in one place—and then they'd have the biggest population ever."

The brothers slammed their knuckles, chuckling.

Suddenly, the large gate opened: A car came into view, being driven out of the parking lot.

The guard, who was a plump, middle-aged man with a balding head, called to the brothers from the guardhouse, stopping at writing his police log (or the like.) "Better get out of the way, boys."

They did, and just when the car was about to head into the empty street, its window was being paned down, slowly revealing a familiar girl.

"Hey!" It was that girl from the other day. She was sitting at the back seat of the car, hanging out from the window as she talked to the two confused—and pleasantly surprised—brothers. "This your brother? Well, c'mon in!"

He couldn't believe this. She actually thinks…?

"For real?" he said, eyes widening. His brother cast him a sidelong glance which was screaming with worry and utter puzzlement, pleading for an enlightening he didn't bother giving. "We just—"

He looked in her eyes and he just knew that he had to think what he was about to say through.

It'd be very rude to say that they just met. Then again, so's not introducing yourself. He figured…

"…I didn't get your name."

The girl's eyes bulged, and she apologised. "I'm so sorry! I just forgot—Rin!"

"Er, gesundheit," his brother lamely butted in. He shot him an appalled look.

Then he turned to the girl. "What?"

"Kagamine—Rin, that is. Rin Kagamine." Before scooting a few feet away, she unlocked the door to let the two come inside. The brothers exchanged different looks—sheepish and tentative. "Tell me yours once you get in."

"You sure? We're not intruding your privacy—anything?" His brother really needed to shut up.

"He's Oliver." He reached out his hand to her, clambering up the back seat. "And I'm Len Makoto. Nice meeting you, Rin."

_Black Heart_

**YES! Ideas are rolling in! XD It's that time of the month, yes (When I'm NOT on my period.) This's kinda based on Harvest Moon's "heart events," which I thought to be pretty cool at first until it came with the "rivals" -.- I was thinking about using the "Social Links" thing in Persona, but meh. "Makoto" was Persona 3's movie's protagonist's first name, and I used it as Len's surname xD Yeah man! Please leave reviews or such. The title was, I've to admit, RANDOM… It's pretty catchy, so whatever. More RinxLen in later chapters! And it'll be totes sweeter.**


	2. Chapter 2

**#S**omething about eight o'cloc**k#**

**L**en hadn't made many friends. It was just as he thought. A few months of school and he reckoned he'd get used to it already. Alas, he didn't.

It was hard catching up with all their interests that spiked none of his and all their ideas that he didn't seem to find to be that entertaining, nor the people involved in it very inviting. He managed to earn someone's trust in the span of that long, though. It seemed obvious to everyone that the new boy was not the type to associate well with everyone, nor was fascinated to. Most times, he'd just nod to his music and let himself get dragged to another world.

Lessons were simply done and understood, though Math would always suck the most effort out of him. He thought he could nail the exams easy, however, and positive attitude was a must in the pessimistic world of high school. He wouldn't just let the burdens of life outweigh the grandeur and luxuries. Nothing could impede this stoic and reserved blonde. Annoy, yes—could he count the many times he would be aggravated by the obnoxiousness of his class?—but deterring his cool? No, folks. Len Makoto was not that kind of guy.

At least, that's what he thought he was.

Lunchtime was his least favourite hour of the day. (No matter how life-draining Trigonometry was.) It was the time when he could do so little. He didn't want to intermingle with the jerks whose minds were infested with the filthiest of thoughts—he didn't know where to start with that—and the geeks from class were—well—_geeks_, and he could do no more than just piteously smile their way and hope they wouldn't come near him. The girls were definitely not an option to hang out with.

His "friend" was the only person he could freely talk to in such a way that he felt so unrestrained, but after the past weeks, he discovered socialising with someone that resembled a rotting corpse frozen in death was dull and tedious. He'd given up dragging him around six days ago, believing that if he wasn't up to it, then he wasn't either. (That asshole.)

Although he surely didn't expect someone was looking for him that moment.

"Hm?"

He pulled his headphones off to hear what Bruno was saying. He didn't realise how long he'd been listening to music—nor what he should've heard with the music being so loud—but he was certain of one thing: Everyone who stayed in the room for lunch knew that once he put his headphones on, you wouldn't call him back until he's finished a track.

Bruno pointed at the door of their room. "There's someone looking for you."

How odd.

Nobody in school particularly acknowledged his presence—let alone come looking for him—so this was certainly very interesting. Could it be a teacher? Len swallowed what saliva was in his mouth and stood up, his hair getting tousled by the electric fan that was blowing the hot air in the room for it to be circulated around. Bruno added cryptically, "If I were you, I wouldn't keep her waiting."

Her? As far as he could tell, he was very clumsy with women.

…Yes, this must absolutely be a teacher. The odds about a girl wanting to talk to him were higher than him getting in trouble with him wreaking havoc by doing something as simple as laying his pen down.

"Got that."

Len strode across the room and out of it, half-conscious about how he smelt after eating that many bananas for lunch. (He liked smelling like it. He just wasn't sure about other's opinion regarding it.)

Outside, quite contrary to who he initially feared to be, was someone Len was very incredulous to believe was standing afore him. She was literally a girl, all right, and someone he didn't think would show up again in front of his face despite fully knowing she studied in the same school as him. Her blouse tucked out from its proper insert, her sleeves carelessly rolled up to her shoulders, her bangs pulled back from falling in the way of her eyes with bobby pins, sporting an admittedly cute bow that suited her, was Rin Kagamine.

"Long time no see, Len!" she chirped happily. Len could only stand there, sweating buckets. "How're you?"

Play it smooth, Len. You can only talk to someone—a _girl_, at that—this once—nail it, man, nail it!

"F-fine." Screw it.

Rin looked very unfazed by his lack of reaction: Perhaps she easily acclimated to his detachment with how short a time they had together before? She looked, if at all, perkier. "I'm sorry if we're not seeing each other a lot—and I'm suddenly showing up—" No arguments on that. "—I take it you've finally gotten used to this, then?"

"I guess you could say that." _Say something about her hair_. "Hey, your hair's yellow. I mean, it's blond."

WHY—

Hesitantly, Rin's hand made its way to her hair. "It's always been like this…"

"'Course, you're blonde. Like me."

Make it stop, God…

Thankfully, Rin giggled. (Whether it was _at_ him or _because_ of him, he didn't care. So long as she wasn't freaked out.) "Are you like this the whole time since school started?"

He wanted so much to shake his head… He couldn't even force to move his head because—this's going to sound banal—she just took his breath away. He didn't notice—in spite of being so conscious—how close they were: She was pretty short…

When he failed to answer immediately, she turned away. Grateful, Len took in as much oxygen as he could just in case. Rin walked to the large slit of the building that overlooked the whole school. She leaned on the railing. "Am I acting too friendly? I don't think I am—I might be bothering you—it wasn't like you were doing anything useful—like homework, you know—I just only figured you wanted to have someone to talk to… It's not every day that I get to talk to somebody I'm in okay-ish terms with, and I was worried—but not to the extent that I'm possibly—"

"It's okay." Len cocked an eyebrow, walking over to her side with his hands in his pockets. "I never do anything."

She looked at him, her eyes inquiring a question she left unasked. "That's good. For me, that is. I don't do anything much, either. Especially at lunch. There aren't much people around who I'm comfortable with…"

Len felt like he needed to say it was the same way for him. Truth be told, Rin didn't look to be the type to be all lonely. She was just so full of energy that insecurity seemed too weak a leverage to keep her silent. He judged others too easily, he figured.

She raised her eyebrows at him hearteningly. He did nothing but try to smile for the first time in weeks.

Rin let out a soft chuckle, looking out into the distance. "Sorry, I just…I don't know, I kinda half-expected you to—crazy as this sounds—comfort me about it, but—hey, we hardly even know each other, right?"

Strangely, that stung. Right where it hurt, too. Len blinked, and then coolly responded, "It's not so bad, being acquaintances."

He followed her wistful and thoughtful gaze into the vast spectacle that sucked him into elegance and renewed amnesty. It's a wonder why he didn't come and look at this view so often…

"…Wow. I don't know how you're ever gonna make me feel better after saying that." Rin finally spoke, treating as though what Len said was a joke.

"It's just exciting for my part hoping that I've the chance to get to know you better is all." The words flowed out of his mouth like honey, slowly and mellifluously. "To find out there's more to you than what I already know…"

Rin playfully pushed him, laughing. "And what's that supposed to mean, Sherlock? You plan on memorising what clips I wear for every day of the week?"

He, for one, thought he did pretty well as a smooth-talker. Her pushing him only made his smile grow wider than it's been for a long time. "It means that I'm looking forward to that day I do."

They stayed like this for a while, chatting the while away, and Len had to confess but to himself: His mood lightened, and he never felt happier defying gravity in his buoyancy. He could choose to drown in this ocean of optimal bliss through conversing with Rin any time, which he would very much rather do than sit in his seat and listen to music all lunch, a habit he regrettably made out of as he only had very limited options to choose from before he decided to be with Rin after she more than hospitably invited him to more of their desirable chats, a more advantageous alternative that was either not readily available or something he wasn't aware of until now.

Time was not a friend of theirs, and as the most glorious minutes ticking away were spent splendidly by cracking up the weirdest but most heartfelt jokes, it was running out fast.

The bell rang.

"Oh, this is solid," Rin was saying sarcastically. "You're a pretty nice all-around guy! Man! I never thought I'd laugh like that again!"

To be honest, Len thought he wouldn't either. "I had a great time with you too."

"Aren't you a sweetheart?" Rin joked, sticking her tongue out at him. She walked backwards carefully, that smile still on her face. "I should talk to you more often, then. I didn't get as flattered as this before I met you, Len."

It was…nice hearing his name from her. It's just simple joy: Her voice was like a cute little bell chiming softly. "Just make sure you don't flunk in your Biology test."

She shrugged, giggling suddenly. "Biology's Biology! Can't do nothing 'bout it."

They said their farewells so soon.

Bruno asked him what their test would be on and if it was graded. He nodded, slipping on his headphones again in an attempt to drown her echoing voice in his mind, quietly repeating his name as though pleading.

…He wanted to tell himself to stop assuming that she was keeping something from him.

_Purple Heart_

**To be brutally honest, that last part wasn't supposed to sound so sexual. So it's a cockblock in disguise! xD This's going to have a SLIIIIIIGHT angst-ridden theme, because—obviously—something's fishy about that Rin.**


End file.
